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� Chesterfield Va May 26 1864 Dear Wife

             I have a small chance 

to send a mail this morning and thinking you would like [to-cutoff] hear from me I sit down on the ground to pen you a few lines to let you know that I am still alive but we have had a hard time for the ["rest" x'd] last month we have marched day and night most of the time we have not stopt more than twenty four hours at a time I have not heard a word from home for the last month till last night the mail come to us I got one from you wrote may fourth and was glad to